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No Immediate Plan to Scrap Minimum Wage, Thai Govt Clarifies

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Khaosod English
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Yingluck Shinawatra canvassing for votes from farmers in a suburb of Bangkok on 5 June 2011. A 300 baht minimum wage was one of the chief promises of her election campaign.

BANGKOK — The Ministry of Labor says it has no immediate plans to revoke the former government's minimum wage policy, despite media reports from the weekend that suggested otherwise.

"There has been news that the committee on labor wage has reached a consensus to abolish the national 300 baht minimum wage, and will introduce a 'floating' system of wage," Arak Prommanee, deputy secretary of the Ministry of Labor, said today. "That news is not true." 

He was referring to news outlets that quoted Nakhon Silpa-archa, the secretary of the Ministry of Labor, on 5 June as saying that the committee is considering five options for changing the national minimum wage. The alternatives include receiving proposals from subcommittees in each province, floating the wage, fixing the wage on economic development rate, fixing the rate as proposed by industry groups, and other "mixed measures." 

Arak clarified today that there has been no formal decision to revoke the former government's policy. The Ministry's committee on labor wages will decide on the matter this October, he said. 

He also said the daily rate will not drop below 300 baht.

"Pronvincial subcommittees will consider the living expenses in each province, and propose a new rate to the committee for consideration. Provinces that do not request a raise will stick to the 300 baht minimum wage. There certainly will not be a reduction," Arak told reporters today.

The current minimum wage was enacted in 2013 by then-Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who was voted into power in July 2011 by Redshirt supporters, most of whom are farmers and laborers in the impoverished north and northeast. Prior to Yingluck's policy, the minimum wage varied between provinces, ranging from 150 baht to 250 baht per day.

Yingluck's critics alleged that the new rate was a part of a populist campaign to retain the support of the Redshirts, whose large numbers have helped them determine the winner of every national election for the past decade. A number of economists also warned that the 300 baht minimum wage would hurt Thailand's economy. 

The former government was toppled by the military in a coup d'etat on 22 May 2014. Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, who was acting as army chief when he seized power last May, is now the head of the current government. 

 

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Sixth Fatality in South Korea's MERS Outbreak

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People wear masks at Sindorim Station in Seoul, South Korea, 03 June 2015. EPA

SEOUL (DPA) — South Korea announced a sixth death and 23 more cases Monday as it battles an outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), including the first teenager reported to be infected with the virus.

An 80-year-old man died after being diagnosed with the disease in Daejon, about 140 kilometres south of Seoul, the Health Ministry said.

A 16-year-old boy was confirmed to have the virus at a hospital in Seoul, where he had been treated for a different illness, the ministry said.

The outbreak in South Korea is the worst outside the Middle East, where the virus was first identified.

MERS belongs to the same family of viruses as Severe Acute Respiratory syndrome (SARS), which killed hundreds in Asia in 2003.

The government in Seoul has responded to the MERS outbreak by an ever-increasing number of school closures and quarantines.

As of Monday, some 1,800 schools and kindergartens were temporarily closed, and over 2,500 people were in quarantine, Yonhap News Agency reported.

(Reporting by Dirk Godder)

 

 

 

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Thai Govt Not Worried About Foreign Opinion on Prayuth's Power Extension

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Khaosod English
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Thai junta chairman Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha with students at an anti-corruption event at the Government House, 8 June 2015.

BANGKOK — Thailand's military government is not concerned with the international community's reaction to a proposal that junta chairman Gen. Prayuth Chan-och stay in power for two more years, a spokesperson said.

"There has been no reaction from foreign [governments], and it is not something that should concern us either," said Maj.Gen. Weerachon Sukhondhapatipak.

He was referring to a measure, put forth by 26 members of the junta-appointed National Reform Council (NRC), that calls for holding a referendum on whether Gen. Prayuth should push back elections for two more years in order to complete his government’s reform projects.

"Sometimes, foreigners have to listen to Thai people's opinions," Maj.Gen. Weerachon said. "If foreigners disagree with some issues that are the desires of Thai people, to whom should we give more importance, fellow Thai people or foreigners?"

The spokesperson said the international community would have no grounds to protest the measure if it was backed by the Thai people in a referendum.

"It would be considered the consensus of the country," he said. 

Under the junta's current "road map" for the return to civilian rule, the next election is scheduled to take place in September 2016 at the earliest. 

After toppling a democratic government in May 2014, Gen. Prayuth appointed the NRC to propose reforms across a variety of sectors – including politics, economy, culture, and media – and assist with the drafting of a new charter. The military government has also used emergency powers to enact other reform measures aimed at solving issues like land encroachment and human trafficking.

Throughout the past year, the Thai junta has had to fend off criticism from democratic nations, such as the United States of America, Australia, and the European Union, who condemned last May’s coup d’etat and have downscaled diplomatic relations with the military regime.

Gen. Prayuth has suggested on several occasions that Western governments do not understand the situation in Thailand. 

Paiboon Nititawan, a NRC member who supports the election delay, told reporters yesterday that the two-year extension has divided the 250-member reform council.

"As far as I have listened, the opinions are now divided along two sides," Paiboon said. "How many people are on each side is not clear." 

Asked whether other government agencies, such as the NRC, should stay in power alongside Gen. Prayuth, Paiboon said it will be up to the junta chairman to decide. 

Paiboon also suggested the issue be decided in the same referendum that the military government has pledged to hold on the new charter.

"Apart from asking the people whether they will accept the new constitution, there should be other questions as a bonus as well. Let's just ask the people once and for all. That is the right thing to do," Paiboon said. 

However, Prapas Pintobtaeng, a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University, denounced the proposed referendum for Prayuth's power extension as "nonsensical." 

"A referendum has to rest on certain principles," Prapas said at an academic seminar yesterday. "Not everything can be put to a referendum. We have already have a procedure on how to elect governments. Referendums must not be used to violate that basic principle of democracy."

He also called on the junta to lift its ban on political activities and free expression before the referendum on the new charter is held.

 

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Thai Govt Not Worried About Foreign Opinion on Prayuth's Power Extension

By
Khaosod English
-
Thai junta chairman Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha leading students government officials in an oath against corruption at the Government House, 8 June 2015.

BANGKOK — Thailand's military government is not concerned with the international community's reaction to a proposal that junta chairman Gen. Prayuth Chan-och stay in power for two more years, a spokesperson said.

"There has been no reaction from foreign [governments], and it is not something that should concern us either," said Maj.Gen. Weerachon Sukhondhapatipak.

He was referring to a measure, put forth by 26 members of the junta-appointed National Reform Council (NRC), that calls for holding a referendum on whether Gen. Prayuth should push back elections for two more years in order to complete his government’s reform projects.

"Sometimes, foreigners have to listen to Thai people's opinions," Maj.Gen. Weerachon said. "If foreigners disagree with some issues that are the desires of Thai people, to whom should we give more importance, fellow Thai people or foreigners?"

The spokesperson said the international community would have no grounds to protest the measure if it was backed by the Thai people in a referendum.

"It would be considered the consensus of the country," he said. 

Under the junta's current "road map" for the return to civilian rule, the next election is scheduled to take place in September 2016 at the earliest. 

After toppling a democratic government in May 2014, Gen. Prayuth appointed the NRC to propose reforms across a variety of sectors – including politics, economy, culture, and media – and assist with the drafting of a new charter. The military government has also used emergency powers to enact other reform measures aimed at solving issues like land encroachment and human trafficking.

Throughout the past year, the Thai junta has had to fend off criticism from democratic nations, such as the United States of America, Australia, and the European Union, who condemned last May’s coup d’etat and have downscaled diplomatic relations with the military regime.

Gen. Prayuth has suggested on several occasions that Western governments do not understand the situation in Thailand. 

Paiboon Nititawan, a NRC member who supports the election delay, told reporters yesterday that the two-year extension has divided the 250-member reform council.

"As far as I have listened, the opinions are now divided along two sides," Paiboon said. "How many people are on each side is not clear." 

Asked whether other government agencies, such as the NRC, should stay in power alongside Gen. Prayuth, Paiboon said it will be up to the junta chairman to decide. 

Paiboon also suggested the issue be decided in the same referendum that the military government has pledged to hold on the new charter.

"Apart from asking the people whether they will accept the new constitution, there should be other questions as a bonus as well. Let's just ask the people once and for all. That is the right thing to do," Paiboon said. 

However, Prapas Pintobtaeng, a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University, denounced the proposed referendum for Prayuth's power extension as "nonsensical." 

"A referendum has to rest on certain principles," Prapas said at an academic seminar yesterday. "Not everything can be put to a referendum. We have already have a procedure on how to elect governments. Referendums must not be used to violate that basic principle of democracy."

He also called on the junta to lift its ban on political activities and free expression before the referendum on the new charter is held.

 

 

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Thailand to Scrap Nationwide Minimum Wage

By
Khaosod English
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A file photo shows cash (L-R) 100, 500 and 1000 Thai baht from an ATM machine in Bangkok, Thailand, 01 February 2012. EPA/NARONG SANGNAK


BANGKOK (DPA) — Thailand's Labour Ministry is proposing a plan to abandon the country's daily minimum wage in 2016.

The current minimum wage of 300 baht per day (about 9 dollars) applies to all 77 provinces across Thailand. 

The wage is not in line with current labour market situation or inflation rate, Ministy of Labour permanent secretary Nakhon Silpa-archa told a seminar on minimum wage. 

The ministry said it will determine an appropriate system to set the rate for minimum wage by October, Matichon reported.

The nationwide wage policy was decreed by Yingluck Shinawatra's government in 2013 as part of her election campaign.

Prior to that, minimum wages varied based on each province's standard cost of living. 

The rate in Bangkok and six other rich provinces was already set at 300 before 2013.

However, in some provinces, the hike represents up to 70 per cent increase in minimum wage.

 

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Student Electrocuted While Charging Phone, Police Say

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Khaosod English
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NAKHON SI THAMMARAT — A 16-year-old boy was fatally electrocuted while he was wearing an earphone connected to a charging mobile phone in Nakhon Si Thammarat province last night, police told reporters.

Police found the boy’s body, still wearing his school uniform, with visible burned marks on both of his ears and an earphone still intact. A mobile phone, which was being charged, was found next to his body, said Lt.Pol. Sanya Klomsuk, an officer at Thoong Song Police Station.

The victim most likely died of electrocution, the officer told reporters, adding that there was no sign of struggle on his body.

The boy’s father, 45-year-old Abhichart Srisongkram, told police that there was thunder storm while his son was in his room, presumably listening to music. Abhichart said he found his son dead when he tried to call him for dinner. 

The incident is under police investigation. 

 

 

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Phuket Man Forced to Pay 16,800 Baht Water Bill

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Khaosod English
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PHUKET — Phuket province's waterworks agency has confirmed that a local resident will have to pay the entirety of his 16,800 baht monthly water bill, the result of a water pipe leak beneath his home.

Pornsak Saengsri, 30, told reporters yesterday that he usually pays 100 to 200 baht for each monthly bill, and was shocked to see a bill from May that said he owed the state 16,829.33 baht for water using 549,000 liters of water. 

"It was so high that it shocked me," Pornsak told Matichon. He said he immediately called technicians from the Provincial Waterworks Authority to inspect his house, and they found that water pipes were leaking underneath the building. 

Pornsak said officials also told him that he would have to pay the bill because the leaks occurred in his home. 

Pisak Chollayuth, director of Phuket's Provincial Waterworks Authority, explained that under official regulations, homeowners are responsible for any leaks beyond the water meter installed by authorities. 

"It is the responsibility of homeowners to regularly maintain and fix water pipes in their own residence," Pisak told Matichon yesterday. "As for the May water bill, in the current time, the Waterworks Authority has no policy of giving discounts for water fees." 

Pisak suggested that Pornsak can request paying the bill in installments. He also urged other homeowners in Phuket to inspect their homes for any faults or leaks. 

"This kind of incident happens lot every month in Phuket, because many houses were built a long time ago," Pisak said. "They have been deteriorating. Some people do not check their homes' water system, so it leads to damages in the system. Mostly the leaks are around toilet system and underground pipes."  

In a similar incident in May 2014, a 80-year-old woman in Ayutthaya province was served a 32,595 baht water bill because of leaks in the water pipes beneath her house. She paid the bill in installments. 

 

 

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Election Commission Ready for Prayuth's Extension Referendum

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Khaosod English
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Junta chairman Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha at the Government House on 3 March 2015.

BANGKOK — Thailand’s Election Commission says it is prepared to conduct a referendum on whether junta chairman Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha should stay in power for two more years.

The proposal has backing from some members of the military government, but has not been formally endorsed.

Somchai Srisutthiyakorn, the Election Commissioner who oversees voting practices, made it clear that the EC is ready to cooperate if the measure is ultimately approved.  

"If there is to be a referendum, there will be a joint meeting between the government and the EC about practical details, like the date, amount of time, and the government's budget for the EC's operations," said Somchai.

Somchai and other EC officials made headlines last year when they traveled to Scotland to observe its referendum on independence from the United Kingdom. The taxpayer-funded trip drew criticism back home, given Somchai and the EC's notorious reluctance to organise elections called by the former government toppled in the coup.

Asked whether the EC could conduct the referendum on Gen. Prayuth's extension in time for a second referendum on the junta’s new charter, Somchai replied, "If things proceed in accordance with the laws, of course, we can do it in time." 

Supporters of the military junta, including 26 members of the junta-appointed National Reform Council, have been publicly urging Gen. Prayuth to extend his "road map" to democracy by two years in order to complete the reform process he launched after staging a coup in May 2014.

Last month, the 26 NRC members submitted a formal request calling for a national vote on the proposal.

Under the junta’s current schedule, an election is slated to be held in September 2016, given that the junta’s new charter passes a referendum. The constitutional referendum will likely take place in late 2015 or early 2016. 

Thailand has been under military rule since Gen. Prayuth toppled an elected government on 22 May 2014. Gen. Prayuth was later chosen as Prime Minister by the military government he appointed.

Commenting on the issue yesterday, Gen. Prayuth said he would only stay on if the Thai people demand it.

"If it is the voice of the people, how can I object to that?" said Gen. Prayuth, who has kept a tight lid on freedom of expression and banned all political activities and public criticism for the past year. 

According to Maj.Gen. Sansern Kaewkamnerd, a spokesperson for Gen. Prayuth, the junta chairman "never thinks about holding on to power."

"He only thinks about holding on to responsibility to the country," Maj.Gen. Sansern said. "He insists that he will follow the road map. There has been no change. But the Prime Minister will also listen to the voice of the people and consider what is right under the legal frame work in any decision he makes." 

Visanu Krue-ngam, deputy Prime Minister, declined to comment on the issue. "I do not have any opinion about it, and I cannot say how the society will react to this referendum," Visanu said, "Right now, I am only thinking about the referendum for the new constitution. Holding referendum on other issues is not a problem, but at this time, there is no need to talk about that."

 

 

 

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Rescuers Search for 17 People Missing After Borneo Earthquake

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A file photo of Mount Kinabalu on the island of Borneo [DPA].

KUALA LUMPUR (DPA) — Rescuers scoured a mountain in Borneo Saturday searching for 17 people missing one day after an earthquake struck eastern Malaysia, police and rescue officials said.

Among the missing at Mount Kinabalu in the state of Sabah, are eight Singaporeans, six Malaysians, one Filipino, one Japanese and one Chinese national, according to Ranau town police chief Farhan Lee Abdullah.

Farhan said the missing Singaporeans were among 40 students who were participating in a school outing when the magnitude-5.9 earthquake struck Sabah early Friday.

Three of the missing Malaysians were climbers, two were staff of a local resort and one was a mountain guide, Farhan added.

Farhan also identified the two fatalities as Singaporean student Peony Wee Ying Ping, 12 and Malaysian mountain guide Robbie Sapinggi, 30.

A total of 167 climbers stranded on Mount Kinabalu have been brought down safely, according to Affendy Rahim, a state fire and rescue spokesman.

He said the search involved more than 100 police, civilian and military personnel.

Affendy said three climbers were being treated in hospital for serious injuries, while six others suffered minor injuries.

Several buildings and highways were damaged, according to Sabah sate police chief Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman.

Mount Kinabalu, about 1,600 kilometres east of Kuala Lumpur in the state of Sabah, is Malaysia's highest peak at 4,095 metres and one the country's most famous climbing areas.

(Reporting by John Grafilo)

 

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Cops Arrests Taxi Driver for Robbing Foreigner

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BANGKOK — Police have arrested a taxi driver and two waitresses who allegedly robbed a Nigerian man in Bangkok this week.

The 36-year-old Nigerian national reportedly told police he was invited to a dinner in Bang Na on 3 June by a taxi driver he had hired earlier in the night. Two waitresses at the restaurant later joined the pair.

At the end of the night at around 2am, when the Nigerian man was reportedly intoxicated, the waitresses helped bring him to the taxi driver’s car, police said. The driver, identified as Sarut Pawasuwanond, 32, then allegedly drove the man to an alley in Bang Bon district and punched him before stealing his belongings, worth more than 130,000 baht, according to police. 

Pol.Maj.Gen. Nipon Charoenphol, deputy commander of Bangkok Metropolitan Police, said the taxi driver and two waitresses were arrested on the following day after the robbery was reported. They reportedly confessed to plotting the theft and returned some of the stolen belongings.

"The suspects confessed that this is the first time they committed the crime," Pol.Maj.Gen. Nipon said, "As for the money, they used it for personal leisure." 

However, Pol.Maj.Gen. Nipon said police believe the suspects may have conspired in other robberies before, and Sarut's police record shows that he was recently released from prison after serving a jail term for drug charges. 

"We will interrogate them in detail again to expand our investigation. If any victim was previously robbed by these perpetrators in the mentioned manner, they can come to identify the suspects at Bang Na Police Station," Pol.Maj.Gen. Nipon said.

The three suspects have been charged with theft. 

 

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